Captain Sven Song of the Ice Snow Goddess enthusiastically slapped Ling Tian on the shoulder.
"This drone is made in your Hua Country. I must say, this thing is truly a good product, with excellent performance and not expensive.
Its maximum flight speed can reach 500 kilometers per hour, and its cruising speed allows it to fly for 10 hours.
Moreover, this aircraft is equipped with a small sea search radar, which is a great supplement to our ship's detection range!
In addition, this aircraft can also be fitted with various pods, and with these pods, it can drop bombs, launch short-range air-to-air missiles, and even small torpedoes...
Can you imagine, something like this actually costs less than 10 million US dollars..."
Sven Song was a very talkative person. While he was speaking, the drone was prepared and mounted on the launch platform.
At this moment, Sven Song gave the launch command. A small rocket under the drone's belly suddenly ignited, ejecting the drone. The drone's engine also started, and it quickly flew into the high sky.
The weather was good today, with excellent visibility. The drone began its search at an altitude of over 1000 meters, following the ship's course.
At this time, dozens of nautical miles away, more than ten ships of various sizes were anchored behind a small island.
The largest of these ships was a frigate, a missile frigate, built in the 1960s, a product of the Northern Bear Country.
This was one of the earliest missile frigates in the world. This warship had likely changed hands many times. Although it had four missile launchers, those were just empty frames, meant to intimidate.
However, the few twin 105mm naval guns on the ship were genuine killing machines.
Furthermore, with a displacement of 3500 tons, it was not a small ship among frigates. This warship was named Abubakar.
This ship was also the flagship of these pirates, and Abubakar was the leader of these pirates!
Abubakar was a notorious pirate in these waters. He commanded over a dozen ships, including this frigate.
In addition, Abubakar and his subordinates occupied several islands and had nearly ten thousand men under their command, making them a considerable force in the region.
This guy was more like a warlord than a pirate.
However, the waters they had come to today were four to five hundred kilometers away from Abubakar's stronghold.
The reason they came here was to carry out a mission, a very lucrative one, and the mission was issued by Old Carponsa.
The country of Darusalam had a highly developed maritime industry, and the largest fleet belonged to the Old Carponsa family.
These shipping magnates had some connections with pirates, and some even colluded with them.
Their relationship went far beyond one party paying protection fees and the other ensuring safe passage.
For example, Old Carponsa often collaborated with pirates, arranging for them to conveniently hijack the fleets of his competitors.
And this Abubakar was a long-term collaborator of Old Carponsa.
This time, Old Carponsa had decided to eliminate Ling Tian completely. After extensive inquiries, he learned that Ling Tian was going to explore near the Mariana Trench.
So, Old Carponsa immediately thought of the very powerful Abubakar. The old man gritted his teeth and offered 10 billion US dollars, a price Abubakar could not refuse.
With this money, he could even buy two retired US frigates from the 1980s, which would greatly boost his strength and allow him to seize more territory.
Therefore, Abubakar directly accepted the mission and led his subordinates to lie in ambush on the necessary route to the Mariana Trench.
"Grant, why hasn't that ship, the Ice Snow Queen, reached him yet?"
On the bridge of the Abubakar, the pirate investor Abubakar paced back and forth, appearing very anxious.
"Reporting, boss, that ship passed Kond Island twenty hours ago. Our people on the island observed the ship, and based on its course and speed, it should be arriving soon...
Please be patient, I will send someone to investigate immediately."
"We must find that damned ship! We must kill that guy named Ling Tian on board!
This mission is very important to me, 10 billion US dollars..."
Abubakar's heart was filled with anxiety and apprehension, fearing that he might miss out on this fortune.
With this money, he could expand his power and become the regional overlord. Even if he retired from piracy, this money would be enough for him for the rest of his life.
But all of this depended on finding the Ice Snow Queen and eliminating Ling Tian.
At this moment, in the cockpit of the Ice Snow Queen, the urgent telephone bell suddenly rang. Captain Si Wensong quickly picked up the phone. The call was from the ship's command center.
For ordinary ships, the cockpit was the core. But for warships, besides the cockpit, there was also a command center. This was the nerve center of the warship, responsible for processing and collecting various data to assist the captain in making decisions.
Captain Sven Song hung up the phone and immediately pressed a switch on the control panel. An alarm then sounded throughout the ship.
"Situation detected, enter Level One combat readiness!"
This caused the crew on the Ice Snow Queen to start working busily and nervously.
Ling Tian saw through the cockpit window that some decorative containers on the deck suddenly opened, revealing various weapons and equipment.
These included fire control radar, sea search radar, missile launchers, close-in weapon systems, and depth charge launchers!
Even more astonishingly, a structure at the front of the deck suddenly opened to the sides, revealing a 125mm rapid-fire naval gun!
Immediately after, the hangar at the stern of the ship also opened, and a helicopter was pushed out. The crew began to quickly equip the helicopter with rocket pods and small anti-ship missiles!
After Captain Sven Song issued a series of commands, Aurora asked, "Captain, what happened?"
"Thirty nautical miles away, our drone has spotted some ships, including a warship.
Judging by the position where those ships are anchored, they are most likely ambushing us!
That body of water is our necessary route. If we want to bypass it, it will likely take an extra two or three days!
Aurora, you can make the decision now: do we fight our way through, or do we detour!"